Origins of Marvel Comics

I found this book to be very interesting. I enjoy comic books. I don't know a lot about the history of them. I have never been that interested in knowing the history of who wrote them and what the background is. I just enjoy the fantasy of it. This book kept my interest. I did enjoy reading about where these characters came from and how they evolved. I also enjoyed seeing the comics at the beginning of the book and how they get better by the end. I would recommend this book.

I originally owned this book when I was 11 years old, and actually bought it by mistake, thinking it was the sequel - SON OF ORIGINS OF MARVEL COMICS - which my cousins owned and which I had read years before. I even remember the trip we took to the local comics shop, specifically so I could get this volume. Far from being dissappointed, I was entrhalled at the chance to become acquainted with the background of characters I already knew and adored. Stan Lee's imagination was the Big Bang from which the Marvel Universe sprung. While other more detailed and thoughtful volumes have since been published which detail the evolutions of The Fantastic Four, The Incredible Hulk, The Amazing Spider-Man (that's "Spider-HYPHEN-Man"!!!) and company, there's something to be said for reading the history as described by the man who was there. Yes, the descriptions are relatively brief and full of hyperbole and superlatives -- but honestly, what else would one expect from Lee? I realize now that the text pieces reflect the style and humor of the author as much as the reprinted stories they are interspersed between. ORIGINS OF MARVEL COMICS demonstrates perfectly how Stan Lee's personality above all else shaped Marvel Comics for decades to come. Indeed, the authors who followed in Lee's footsteps on most of the titles represented directly copied his style (admittedly, this might have been an editorial mandate -- but I have yet to read many complaints about it), and even now the original stories retain much of the power and charm they had then. What's also now interesting about ORIGINS is the stories originally included to give a more "contemporary" feeling for the characters. These stories, which were first published less than a decade after their respective origin tales, are now equally as dated and serve in hindsight to represent a broader overview of MARVEL at the height of its inventiveness. A time when every other story was a CLASSIC -- and the vast majority of them were written by the same person. An immeasurable debt is certainly owed the artists who also brought Dr. Strange, Thor, et al. to life (and Lee pays tribute to them all in his adverb-filled manner), and even a casual read demonstrates the diversity brought to the Marvel Bullpen by Kirby, Ditko, Romita Sr. (who illustrated the original printing's cover), Trimpe, and others. But the flip side of diversity is cohesion, and that magical element was supplied in abundance by the Editor Emeritus. ORIGINS OF MARVEL COMICS is as much about Stan Lee as it is about his creations. It's a fun book, as well it should be. And it's the tip of the iceberg...so don't stop here. Go pick up SON OF ORIGINS and BRING ON THE BAD GUYS and THE SUPERHERO WOMEN OF MARVEL COMICS and the ESSENTIALS collections. But start somewhere...start HERE. 'Nuff said!

"Origins of Marvel Comics" presents the origins and history of its most famous creations with introductions from Stan (the Man) Lee that are interesting if not insightful. I am certain that to some degree Lee is mythologizing these actions of comic creation, but I really have no idea where to draw the line on how much credit he gets in all this and am not ashamed that my copy of this book is autographed. The main thing about this volume is that at a time where reprints were few and far between, "Origins of Marvel Comics" gives you the first appearance of classic super heroes along with what in 1974 were more recent stories as well. For "The Fantastic Four" we get issue #1 where they take on the Moleman and #55 "Where Strikes the Silver Surfer," both of which are drawn by Jack Kirby. "The Incredible Hulk" offers more Kirby art with issue #1 (with the Hulk still grey on the cover) and #118 where he fights the Sub-Mariner drawn by Herb Trimpe. "Amazing Fantasy" #15 provides the first story with Steve Ditko's Spider-Man while #72 of "The Amazing Spider-Man" features "Rocked by...The Shocker!" drawn by John Romita. Kirby again draws both stories when "Journey Into Mystery" #83 introduces "The Mighty Thor" while issue #143 has Thor, Balder and Sif taking on the Evil Enchanters. Finally, there are a trio of stories with Doctor Strange, Master of the Mystic Arts, drawn by Ditko and Marie Severin. Of course the origin issues are of more interest than the others and do not really add anything significant. There are other volumes in this "series," providing more of the same.

an absolute classic that any comix reader must read

"Origins of Marvel Comics" is one of those books you pick up and simply cannot put down! Great commentaries by the Excelsior himself, Stan Lee, the reader discovers what inspired the creations of such heroes as The Incredible Hulk, The Amazing Spiderman and The Fantastic Four, to name a few. Not just for Baby Boomers, "Origins of Marvel Comics" is recommended reading to anyone who loves comics books or to those whoever wondered where popular culture came from. Read on!